Plate forming machine



June 8, 1948. WAYNE 2,442,943

PLATE FORMING MACHINE Filed Sept. 2, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

June 8, 1948.

Filed Sept. 2, 1941 A. F. WAYNE 2,442,943

PLATE FORMING MACHINE v 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fly. /3

INVENTOR.

June 8, 1948. A. F. WAYNE PLATE FORMING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Sept. 2, 1941 w E as Q.

Patented June 8, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFlCE PLATE FORMING MACHINE Albert F. Wayne, Philadelphia, Pa., assignor to Edward R. Wayne, Philadelphia, Pa.

Application September 2, 1941, Serial No. 409,307

8 Claims. (01. 15354) This invention relates to methods and means tances between the axes of the rolls, keeping said for forming or shaping sheets and plates. More axes parallel, to accommodate material of difierparticularly, it relates to methods and means for ent thicknesses and to bend the metal to differforming irregular shapes of metal plates, that ent degrees of longitudinal curvature, which deis, those whose elements are curves, or compound pends on the setting of the rolls. The transverse curves. This machine will roll plates no element curvature is determined by the shape of the rolls. of which is a straight line. The metal can be The bearings and their supporting and adjusting rolled hot or cold, depending on the thickness means are not shown, being well understood in and rigidity of the plate or sheet, and the strength the art. Rolls similar to this are shown in U. S.

of the machine. 0 Patents No. 125,691 to Price and No. 1,041,471 to This invention provides a machine for quickly Hoag and Thomas. The transverse elements will and economically forming plates for ships, autobe concave upwards at the left side, and convex mobiles, or airplanes, when compared to the upwards at the right side. Toroll sheets of difpresent methods of hand forming, or making exferent transverse sections then requires a set of tremely expensive dies. rolls of different shapes for each shape of sheet.

An object of this invention is to provide a This method cannot produce sheets having difmachine for rolling plates of irregular and com ferent transverse sections along the same sheet. pound curvature from fiat stock. Fig. 2 shows how 5 rolls, a curved roll In in the Another object of this invention is to provide center and top position, and two approximately a machine for rolling plates of irregular shape, parallel pairs of cylindrical rolls H, one pair in several stages. 2 bearing on each end of Hi, may be substituted Fig. 1 shows in elementary form a set of 3 rolls. for a set of rolls havin e h p s wn f r th Fig. 2 shows in elementary form a set of 5 rolls left ends of the rolls in Fig. 1. The top roll l0 which are equivalent t the 1eft end of Fig, 1, has a radius of curvature as small as required to Fig. '3 shows in elementary form a set of 4 rolls produce the sheet of the greatest transverse which are equivalent to the right end of Fig. l. curvature desired. The sheet will be bent both Fig. 4 shows in elementary form another set longitudinally and transversely with the curvaof 3 rolls. ture concave upwards. Such a sheet is produced Figs. 5 and 6 show in elementary form sets of by starting with the 4 bottom rolls ll together 4 and 5 rolls which are equivalent respectively and passing the sheet back and forth, moving the to the left and right nds of Fig, 4, bottom rolls out a little at each pass until they Fig. 7 shows in elementary form a set of 8 rolls. reach the outside of the top roll, as shown in Figs. Figs. 8, 9, and 10 show various steps in the 10 or 11, and then by shifting the sheet laterally rolling of a plate. at each pass, until the entire plate has attained Fig. 11 shows a simplified form of device for the desired shape. If a curvature less than that plate rolling. of roll It] be desired, rolls II are adjusted ac- Fig. 12 shows a front elevation of a plate rollcordingly, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9. Fig. 8 shows ing machine. the start of the rolling, with only the center part Fig. 13 is a section on line l3-I3 of Fig. 12. of the plate curved, and Fig. 9 shows the finish, Fig. 14 is a front elevation of another form of With the plate all curved. If greater curvature plate rolling machine. be desired, the plate can be. curved as in Fig. 9, Fig. 15 is a section on line l5l5 of Fig. 14. and the rolls then adjusted to produce the This invention can be understood best by congreater curvature. Fig. 10 shows this completed.

sidering first rolls of compound shape, and then If desired, and if the flexibility of the material the arrangements which are used to approximate and the strength of the machine and drivin the compound rolls. power permit, the final curvature can be pro- In Fig. 1 the elementary rolls I, 2, and 3 shown duced at once from the straight plate, instead of will roll a sheet with its longitudinal elements going throu h intermediate s- The longiconcave upwards. The rolls are shown with their tudinal curvature can be produced initially, or in axes separated more than ordinarily, to show the as many stages as desired, and in combination shape of the rolls. The shafts fit into bearings with the transverse bending steps as desired. In which have supporting and adjusting means, this case, as also in Figs. 3, 5, and 6, the supports such as a bearing block, slides, and screw adjustfor the rolls take a form to be presently disclosed. ments to preserve the rolls in the same positions Fig. 3 shows how 4 rolls, a pair of curved and longitudinally and adjust the transverse dis- 5 approximately parallel rolls l2 in the outside and bottom positions, and a pair of cylindrical center or inside rolls I3, one bearing on one end of each of rolls I2, the other roll I3 bearing on the other ends of rolls I2, may be substituted for a set of rolls having the shapes shown for the right ends of the rolls in Fig. 1. Again, the maximum transverse curvature which can be rolled into a sheet is. determined. by the curvature of the curved rolls. I-Z The sheet will= be bent longitudinally concave upwards and transversely convex upwards. The sheet is manipulated for as many passes as desired or necessary, as before, and. rolls I3 moved toward each other or awayfrom each other, and the angles of their axes with the axes of the cylinders I2 varied, as desired; The ad'- justments may be performed manually, and the plate manipulated with a pair of tongs. In this type of work the correct shaping of the platedepends to a great degree on the skill of the operator.

Fig. 4' shows. rolls 4;, 5., and 6 which will roll a sheetsimilar to. those of Fig. l',,b ut in the oppositesense. The transverse elements will be concave upwards at theleft side, and convex upwards at the right side, as before, but this time the longitudinal elements will be convex upwards. Fig. 5 shows how 4' rolls, a pair of curved and approximately parallel rolls 9 occupying the outside and top positions, and apair of cylindrical. center or inside, rolls Ill; one, bearing on one end of each of. rolls, 9; and; the other roll bearing on the other ends of rolls 9, can. be arranged to perform functions similar to the left end of Fig. 4. The sheet will be bent longitudinally convexv upwards and, transversely concave upwards.

Fig. 6 shows how 5 roll's,,a curved roll I in the center. and. bottom. position, and" two approximately parallel pairs ofi' cylindrical rolls. 8; one pair. bearing on eachiend' of; I, canbe arranged to perform. functions similar to the right end of Fig. 4. The sheetwill: be bent.longitudinally convex upwards andj transversely convex upward-5.. It willfbe noted that, Figs. 3 and 5, and also Figs. 2 and; Ghave the same rolls in similar relations. except that they are inverted. The provision of; the inverted rolls is not essential; but it obviates having to turnv the work over. at times. Suppose. a sheet were to require Fig. 2.. to work on one. end; and Fig. 6' to work on the other It could; be transferred. from one set. of rolls. to the other without turning, but; if only Fig, 2' where ayailableritwould have to be tllrnedi over;

In Fig. 7. rolls [4,12,15, I6 and Ill can be combinedlasrolls III and H in Fig, 2; all the rolls in Fig. 7' being adjustable in. position and angle, as explained hereinafter. Rolls. I51 I16; I9; and I! can; be, combined. as rolls I2 and IS. in Fig, 3. Rolls I5J,.2,0. [8,. and I9. can, be, combined as rolls 919.116. III in Fig. 5. Rolls I5, 20, I1, 2|; and I9 can be combined as, rolls 1 andifl'in Fig. 6. Thus a set of 8 rollsasinFig, '7. can perform the same typeset bendingasliigs. 1 and'4, that is, without turning the WQrk.over. If the work is allowed to be, turned over,,6J rolls, I.4, I.5, Ifi, I.I, I8, and I9; can be combined. to perform all the functions of Ei l, thouehnot alli simu tane usly, as the plate must be rolledelement by element; first the transverse elements which are concave upwards, then. the rolls are rearranged, and the transverse elements which: are concave downwards are rolled; The equivalence oi FigS.-. 2 and 6; and Figs- 3' and5 shows thatsuch an arrangement of G rolls as l'llsfldescribed; willjroll'plates Qf; all'possible curvatures. If a plate cannot'be rolled with the desired curves on the upper side, it can be rolled with them on the bottom side, and then merely has to be turned over when finished to present the desired curves. Such a machine is simpler than one having all 8 rolls, and is illus-- trated in detail in Figs. 12 and 13.

However, to provide a machine of even greater flexibility, two. additional rolls, 20, and 2|, may be provided.

Figs. 12 and 13 are front elevation and end section, respectively, of astand of 6 rolls. The rolls are mounted in thrust bearings 23, which are held in. yokes 24 which in turn are restrained in two directions in the case of the center bearings, and in. three directions in the case of the outside bearings, by length adjustin units 34. Each length: adjusting unit 34 comprises a frame 21 housing internally threaded Worm gear 26, worm I00, screw 25, and supporting motor 40 and gear case 65 which houses reduction spur gears which. operate'to convey-the torque-ofmotor lllito the worm; Each unit 3issupported at one endfrom main frame 64 by red 4|, thelatter havingball joint28at the end, Zllbeing retained by-fra-me 64, except inthe'case-of horizontal rods 4i; when ZBis-ret ained by post-s63, and the'oth'er end of 34, comprising screw 2'5; being supported byscrew 25 from yoke-2401' 29, or eye 15}, asthe case maybe. The outside yokes 24=are-also-supported by yokes 29, the other yokes 24 are also supported-by eyes- 1-5 which are'heldinplaceby collars I6; Universaljoint-sfifl; splined sleeves 68'. and drive shafts- 6'9 convey thedriving torque from 6-ma-in driving motors (not shown)- to the rolls. There is sufiicient clearance betweenthe horizontal andvertioal screws 25 where they join to permit adjusting-these parts to the necessary angles. i

Plate 3| is held in clamps 32, connected to screws 25' by double swivel joints 33-; Screws 25 are part of length adjusting units such asare used to=support therolls, but in this case are fastenedto carriages 35. The swivels and length adjusting units areto insurethat clamps 32 will be at thecorreot position and angle for the-edges of plate- 3i. The-carriages 35 may be as longas the plate, orshorter than it; Carriage 35 rides on rack rail 38, guided by roller 31 and pinion 35, and driven.- bythelatter, 7 which; in turnis driven by motor 3-9- throughappropriate bevel gearing 61, One or bothcarriages 35 may be motor driven. In the-maehine-illustratedg only the one on the right is provided-with-a driving motor. Rails 38 are supported by-posts fifi; The lateral guide screws 25 may be attached-farther away from the rolls if necessary to provide greater-clearances forthe work. Using alarger diameter for the rolls also provides greater clearances.

For thinsheet of simple shape a'simple arrangement such as shown in Fig. 11 c'anbe used. Top roll 45 is mounted on fixedbearings supporh ed byarms'l3 and frame I2. Bottom rolls 4 4 are mounted inyokes 42-, which-are pivoted to the tops ofscrews-4l3-by-yokes -'ld-. Yokes 42 are held in a. centered position by springs 43- except when deflected by the work 7!. Screws 46" are: moved toward, or 'awayfrom eachother "and raisedor lowered by suitable; means. The rolls are positionedfiuntll the work is bent as desired; The work isguidedby tongs-H;which'may-move-freely'wi-th the work, or be held back to cause the latter to slide, circularlythrollgh. the. rolls and thus produce additional curvature. The equivalent of such; operation is produced: iirFigs. l2 and 13 by clamping the work on onlyone'side and by leaving the motor open and the carriage freely rolling, by locking the motor mechanically or electrically, or by driving the motor so that the carriage progresses at a lesser rate than the work. If the carriage is locked it can be omitted, and clamp 32 attached to a fixed swivel by a rod of suitable radius. A plurality of clamps distributed along the work may be employed, all connected by links to the same fixed swivel.

Fig. 14 is a front elevation, and Fig. 15 an end section of a form having larger rolls, greater clearances for the work, and stronger construction. Roll 48 is mounted in a fixed yoke 82. Rolls 41 and 49 are mounted in yokes 33 mounted on screws 50 guided by and fastened to crossheads 53 sliding in frames 52. Screws 58 are adjusted by internally threaded worm Wheels 51. Motors 84 are mounted on frames 52 as are also gear housings 85, and drive worm wheels 5| through reduction spur gears and worms 62. Frames 5'2 slide on curved rails 5 being retained thereto by T heads 8%. Rails 54 may be made straight, and have their angle with the horizontal made adjustable, but this form is not shown. Rails 55 are mounted on base plates 55 which slide on dovetails 56 in main frame 99 and are adjusted by screw 5?, which is supported by bearings 82' and 95 and is driven by motor 98 through gears 93, 94, 96, and 91. The positions of frames 52 on rails 54 is controlled by cables or chains 58, which are supported on wheels 92 and 91, the latter being attached to worm gears so, which are driven by motors 88 through worms 89. Rolls 41 and 49 are driven by worms 60, and worm wheels 59, through shafts 6|, universal joints ll, splined sleeves l8, shafts l9, and motors 89, which are supported by hangers 8 l Machines such as shown in Figs. 12 and 14 cannot be controlled by one operator. In Fig. 12, for instance, there are 39 separate controls, requiring 3 or 4 operators. Fig. 14 has 13 controls. For this reason it may be advisable to provide automatic controls, such as those of the card or plate pattern type, where the number of identical pieces to be made is enough to justify it.

Any of the methods described above not only form a plate to an irregular cross section without the necessity of hand forming, or having a set of rolls or dies for each shape desired, but also form plates in which the cross sections vary along the length of the plate. The plates may be cut to size before rolling, or may be rolled first from stock slightly larger than necessary, and then have their edges trimmed off.

I claim:

1. A plate forming machine comprising, in combination, a convex roll, a, frame, means to rotata'bly mount said roll in said frame, four auxiliary cylindrical rolls rotatably mounted on the same side of said first roll, said auxiliary rolls being arranged in pairs, the rolls of each pair being approximately parallel to each other, and each pair approximately parallel to the axis of said first roll as projected onto a first plane approximately equidistant from the four auxiliary rolls, and the rolls of each pair being at an angle with the axis of said first roll as projected onto a second plane erpendicular to the first plane, one pair being adapted to coact with one end of said first roll, the other pair being adapted to coact with the other end of said first roll, adjustable supporting means to independently support each end of each auxiliary roll, said adjustable supporting means being adapted to vary the distance between and the degree of parallelism between the auxiliary rolls of each pair, and being also adapted to vary the distance and angle between the axis of each auxiliary roll and the axis of said first roll, and means to drive said first and auxiliary rolls.

2. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 further characterized in that means are provided to guide and restrain laterally th plate being formed, and to move said plate longitudinally.

3. A machine for forming compound curved plates comprising, in combination, a convex roll, a frame, means to rotatably mount said roll in said frame, four auxiliary cylindrical rolls mounted on the same side of said first roll, said auxiliary rolls being arranged-in pairs, the rolls of each pair being approximately parallel to each other, and each pair approximately parallel to the axis of said first roll as projected onto a first plane approximately equidistant from the four auxiliary rolls, and the rolls of each pair being at an angle with the axis of said first roll as projected onto a second plane perpendicular to the first plane, one pair being adapted to coact with one end of said first roll, the other pair being adapted to coact with the other end of said first roll, adjustable supporting means to independ ently support each end of each auxiliary roll, said adjustable supporting means being adapted to vary the distance between and the degree of parallelism between the auxiliary rolls of each pair, and being also adjustable in such manner that each auxiliary roll may be made tangent to the first roll at any point between its center and the end toward which the auxiliary roll is mounted, whereby the plate being formed may be bent laterally to any degree up to that curvature which fits said first roll, and whereby said plate may be bent longitudinally to a degree determined chiefly by the distance between said auxiliary rolls of each pair, and means to drive said convex and auxiliary rolls.

4. Apparatus in accordance with claim 3 further characterized in that means are provided to guide and restrain laterally the plate being formed, and to move said plate longitudinally.

5. A plate forming machine comprising, in combination, two convex rolls, said rolls beingadjacent and having their axes approximately parallel; a frame, means to rotatably mount said rolls in said frame, two auxiliary cylindrical rolls rotatably mounted on the same side of said first two rolls in the same space between said first two rolls, said auxiliary rolls being approximately in line and approximately parallel to the axes of said first two rolls as projected onto the plane of the axes of the said first two rolls, and at an angle to the axes of said first two rolls as projected on a second plane perpendicular to the first plane, one auxiliary roll being adapted to coact with one end of each of said first two rolls, the other auxiliary roll being adapted to coact with the other ends of said first two rolls, adjustable supporting means to independently support each end of each auxiliary roll, said adjustable supporting means being adapted to vary the distance between each auxiliary roll and said first plane and also adapted to vary the angle between the axis of each auxiliary roll and said first plane, and means to drive all four rolls.

6. Apparatus in accordance with claim 5, further characterized in that means are provided to guide and restrain laterally the plate being formed, and to move said plate longitudinally.

7. A machine for forming compound curved plates comprising, in combination, two convex 7 rolls, said; rolls being adjacent: and having: thein axes approximately parallel, a; frame, means: to. rotatablymountisaid; mils zin'saidw frame; .two; auxiliary cylindrical:rollsn'rotatably'mountedionithe same side of said first two rolls in the same: space betweenisaid first two. rolls, saidauxi'liary; rolls being. approximately: in line. and; appmmmately parallekto. itheeaxes of: said first. twozrolls sas'sprojecteclonto; the plane'iof' thegaxesroftsaidsfirst two ro1ls,.and at an angle tothe axes of said:first two rolls as projected ouasecondi plane perpendicu! lar to; the first: plane, one. auxiliary roll being adapted to enact with .one' end of :each:-of:said first twowolls, the. other auxiliary'roll being adapted to;coact with the other ends: of said first tworolls, adjustable. supporting means: ta. independently; support eachend of 1 each; auxiliary; roll, said ade justable supporting means beingia'dapted toxvary the distance between eachauxiliaryrolland said first plane, and bein also adjustable in such manner that each auxiliary. roll may be made tangentto the first tworolls. at any-pointibetweentheir. center and the endltowardwhich the auxiliary rolliis mounted; whereby the plate beingiformed may be bent laterally to any degree up to that curvature which fits said first tworolls, and whereby said plate may be bentlongitudinally to a degree chiefly determined-by the distance between-said auxiliary rolls and said first plane, and means to drive said convex and auxiliary rolls.

8 8: Apparatusm: accordance; with, claim 7 further characterized in-that1 means areprovided. to guide: and restrain: laterally the plate being fm'med;.and:to*move said platelongitudinally.

ALBERT F. WAYNE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record inthe file ofthis patent:

UNITED, STATES: PATENTS Number Name Date- 125:691 Price Apr; 16; 1972 499,824 Du Bois June 20, 1893 6375466 Jernberg Nov 21,1899 7513166 Gorton FebLZ, 1904 9011364 McMahon Oct;..20, 1908 928-,353 Bissell July 20;.1909 041,471: Hoag et al Oct. 15,1912 130561030- Killion- Mar..l8; 1913 1';658,'-601 Kl'aus-et a1; Feb; 7, 1928 118229845 Watkins Sept. 15, 1931 1 ,826,783 Hess Oct/.113, 1931 1,9301562 Krueger Oct. 17,1933 2,200,569 Whitten May-14,1940

FOREIGN PATENTS Number Countryv Date 5,35"! Great; Britain 1901 588:,960 Germany Dec. 1, 1933 

